Various devices are known for holding and dispensing fiber optic cable, wire and other types of elongate material. Examples of these devices include a container, such as a box, with a spool or reel mounted inside. The elongate material is wound on the spool and dispensed by rotation of the spool within the container. In such devices, the spool rotates while the outer container and the support for the spool remain stationary.
In some previous dispensers, the user draws off elongate material from the spool by pulling on the free end of the material. When the user stops pulling, the spool may continue to rotate due to the angular momentum of the rotating spool and material and continue to dispense material from the spool. This “overrunning” of the spool may cause the elongate material to become trapped between the spool and the container, to become tangled with itself or to become wrapped around the spool or its internal supports, creating a material jam. In addition, the overrunning of the spool may result in damage, such as a twist or a kink, to the wire or cable material.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,452 discloses a dispenser for elongate material having a support for a spool, with at least one ring on the support encircling the flange of the spool. Means is provided within the ring to create frictional contact with the flange. There is no frictional variation when the pulling force on the elongate material is discontinued. This commonly assigned patent is herein incorporated by reference.